Guest Post: Promoting Your Ebook by Ronelle Antoinette

Today on the blog we have a guest post from author Ronelle Antoinette, who is sharing her experience of promotion since publishing her first book. Thanks for stopping by, Ronelle

Promoting: Where I’ve applied, who’s accepted, and my take on their services

Let me start this by saying that my experience is with listing a FREE novel. Since Errant Spark is the first in a series, I chose to list it for free in hopes of getting more exposure. So, with that being said…

Nobody ever told me that writing my novel wasn’t going to be the hardest part of being an author. Errant Spark has been out for around eight weeks and I’ve spent every, single day of those eight weeks trying to get it in front of those willing to review and promote it. I’ve developed an understanding for why many traditionally published authors get lower royalties; SOMEBODY has to pay for that shit! Marketing, ‘professional’ reviews, book blasts/blitzes, tours…it can aaaaadd up, and fast.

But a little digging—inspired by my shoestring budget—proves that it doesn’t have to.

There are a lot of people, both groups and individuals, willing to help you get the word out about your work without breaking the bank or requiring you to enter indentured servitude to PayPal. Google led me to a great listicle at https://kindlepreneur.com/list-sites-promote-free-amazon-books/ that gave me a place to start. (Some of the best sites were suggested in the comment section.) What follows is a list of the promotions I’ve pursued for Errant Spark, along with my perceptions of and experiences with them.

1. eBookasaurus FREE

https://www.facebook.com/FrugalFreebies

I’ve listed with them and the process was easy. I can’t say how much of an effect it’s had on my sales and they have A LOT of books listed, so after the first day it was hard to find my listing without searching it. Perhaps their paid service offers something that stands out a little more. But for a free promo, I won’t knock it!

2. Indie Book of the Day

http://indiebookoftheday.com/

I submitted my nomination and have not heard back.

3. Indie Book Butler $5-$205

http://indiebookbutler.com

IBB offers a range of promotion options, including tweets and author page listings. They were quick to respond to e-mail and got my page up-and-running in short order. I chose the Follower Package @ $69 and have been happy with the results so far. I’ve only been with them a short time, so I’ll let you know how this program looks in a year.

4. BookPromo $9.90-$49.89

http://bookpromo.net/

I chose the BP Excerpt Listing and ! Month Twitter Blast. Unlike some of the other Twitter-centric promos I’ve seen and participated in, they seem to put out different tweets every day rather than just blasting the same one over and over.

5. It’sWriteNow FREE-$10

http://itswritenow.com

I chose the $10 *guaranteed* option, and it was well worth the money. I was listed on their front page, listed in their book blog, featured in their newsletter, shared on social media, and had an author interview. To me, that’s A LOT of exposure for $10.

6. Awesomegang $10

http://awesomegang.com/

I opted for an interview, and while it was a cookie-cutter form, it was thorough. I didn’t opt to pay for a book listing at the time, but I may do so in the future.

7. Armadillo eBooks FREE

http://www.armadilloebooks.com

I filled out their form, got the confirmation email…and then nothing. Multiple attempts to contact them have gone without response. Their free, so submitting can’t hurt, but do so at your own risk. You may or may not see any results.

8. eBook Korner Kafe FREE

https://www.facebook.com/EBookKornerKafe

Here’s another one that I submitted to, got a confirmation email, and then nothing happened. I followed all their directions, and it seems others have had success with them so I may try again.

9. Bookpromofree FREE

This one was easy. Just use “Via @bookpromofree ” in your tweets and they’ll share them.

10. OHFB FREE-$100

https://ohfb.com/

I submitted my book for free and was not selected. I have not decided if I will try the paid options.

11. The Kindle Book Review FREE-$75

https://www.thekindlebookreview.net/

This is another one where I submitted via their free option and was not selected.

12. CartofBooks, SHOUTmyBook, and ArtofWriting are on Twitter and all seem to be run by the same person or company. They blast the same two or maybe three versions of your tweet for as long as you’ve chosen.

13. Best Fantasy Books $100-$800

No, this was not affordable for me, they were very prompt in reaching out and very thorough in describing their advertising options. There is also a paid review service that runs $400. This might be a good option if price is no object.

14. FreeBooks FREE (I think)

http://www.freebooks.com

Still waiting to hear from them.

15. Naughty Reads FREE, if you’re selected

http://www.naughtyreadsonthecheap.com

Still waiting to hear from them.

16. eBookLister FREE-$25

http://www.ebooklister.net

Another quick promo with a lot of books listed every day. I think it was worth the five seconds it took to fill out the form.

17. Free eBooks FREE

https://www.free-ebooks.net

This one has been great! They emailed me when I reached my first 100 downloads (it took about 3 days!) and in the 17 days since I posted Errant Spark, it’s been downloaded 246 times. It’s a clean, simple, and apparently effective promotion. I would highly recommend them for authors who’ve chosen to share their work at no cost.

18. OnlineBookClub VARIES

http://onlinebookclub.org/

I saved this one for last because I have the most to say about it…and my feelings are mixed. It was the first site I used (before I found some of the freebies) and the experience started with such promise! I paid $179 for a “Level 4” review (yeah, yeah, I know…), which is said to feature:

• 2 months featured status (after the review, I’m guessing. I can’t even find my novel on their website!)
• 2 months homepage link to review
• Guaranteed to get one of a few top-level reviewers
• Access to premium technical support (no idea what this actually covers)

The turnaround time is supposed to be 1-2 months (they advertise 1 month, with the caveat that it *may* take twice that long). I ordered my review on July 7, 2016. My book wasn’t assigned to a reviewer until August 27, 2016. That review immediately ‘reshelved’ my book, with some rather snide comments. I’m still waiting for someone else to pick it up. On top of that, I received an email through my own website (http://www.ronelleantoinette.com) warning me that OBC is a “nasty, cliquish, and shame-based” organization. It came from an anonymous address, so take the warning with a grain of salt. I’ve contacted OBC’s founder, Scott, through Facebook and on the bright side, he was quick to respond. He apologized and reassured me that I’d get what I paid for

We shall see. I have a Book of the Day promo coming up with them on September 9^th, so hopefully that will redeem the experience. . It’s clearly worked for other authors, as many of them see their books skyrocket in the Amazon ranks. I’ve got my fingers crossed that it will be the same for Errant Spark.

These are only a few of the available options. To list them all would take pages and pages and more time than I have! But since I ascribe to the Help Not Hurt school of thought, I wanted to spread the word. As authors, bloggers, and freelancers, we can either treat each other as competition to be vanquished or we can lift each other towards success. There’s a reader out there for everything and a writer on every topic, so why not help connect them? I hope you find the above links and details helpful and please feel free to share or add your own in the comments!

***

Ronelle Antoinette was born in Phoenix, AZ and raised in beautiful Colorado. She currently lives in Grand Junction with her husband, two sneaky cats, and one dog-who-believes-he’s-a-person. While she’s a mother to none, she’s an auntie to a small army…the newest recruit joined them in April 2016. Ronelle dabbled in creative writing for many years and even considered it as her major in college. (She ended up getting a Bachelor’s degree in Counseling Psychology.) She published her first novel, Errant Spark, in July of 2016.

Ronelle can be found on Twitter @RonelleAntoinet, on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ronelleantoinette, and at http://www.ronelleantoinet.com